After a fortnight off due to the international break, Barca are gearing up for a clash with Sevilla on Saturday and, though the 35-year-old is not expected to feature, the ex-Paraguay boss revealed that he could make his comeback in a week's time.

"Puyol's return means we have the centre-back we all wanted, I'm very happy about it," he told reporters on Friday. "The captain is back.

"He is at the end of his recovery, he could be back in full training ahead of next week's game against Real Sociedad."

Martino also explained is decision to drop Pedro from the squad over fitness fears and insisted that Lionel Messi and Neymar look set to play against Sevilla despite a hefty chunk of travelling during the international window.

"Pedro has played two games with Spain, that's why he's rested this time," he continued. "He's fine now, but we need him for the next nine or 10 months.

"Messi and Neymar made long trips but they have trained very well - we'll see how they feel tomorrow and see if they can complete the game.

"We didn't ask the Argentina football federation not to call up Messi next time. I wouldn't do anything like that, I've been a national team coach myself. It's been a while now that Messi has been as good for Argentina as he is for Barca. He's decisive here and for them.

"Neymar's style can invite the opponent to use violence. I told him he should keep on playing that way, though, as they'll respect him more. I don't want Neymar to play one good game, one good season or one good World Cup - I want for him to have a long career."

The Camp Nou coach also defended his decision to branch out the Catalans' style under his tutelage as he does not want his team to become too easy to read.

"We don't want to change the style, just to avoid becoming predictable and that the opponent knows we have alternatives," Martino added.

Barca's game against Sevilla at Camp Nou on Saturday kicks off at 20:00CET.